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DUBAI: The company e&, formerly known as Etisalat Group, is the latest business to explore the metaverse, through the soft launch of its own virtual world, e& Universe, at the GITEX technology fair in Dubai on Monday.

Emirati authorities have made significant investments in the metaverse. Last month, for example, the UAE hosted the Dubai Metaverse Assembly, where Omar Al-Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, said the country plans to launch a metric called “gross metaverse product”. ” to showcase the future ways in which technology will contribute to the economy.

“We have a goal to make Dubai one of the leaders in the metaverse, globally,” he said.

Developed in collaboration with the technology company HTC, the virtual e& Universe is located on Mars – specifically “Arcadia Planitia”, which in the real world is a place considered the most suitable to potentially support life on the planet.

The choice of location is a “subtle nod to the UAE’s national space strategy” and the Emirates Mars Mission’s Hope Probe, “in line with the vision of the UAE leadership,” according to e&.

For the first time at GITEX, which began on Monday and runs until Friday, visitors can visit the e& booth at the exhibition through the metaverse using e& Universe. The company said this is just the first step, and its future plans for metaverse include giving customers the ability to buy digital assets and NFTs, watch virtual concerts and sporting events, and engage in other digital experiences.

Alongside e& Universe, the company also offers two other virtual experiences: Metaverse Service and Etisalat by e&.

Metaverse Service, created in collaboration with SK Telecom, allows visitors to use avatars to explore social networking opportunities. They can visit a virtual e& NFT art exhibition that displays the works of international artists, for example, listen to K-pop music, hear poetry or enjoy a variety of entertainment shows through the platform’s virtual and augmented reality technologies.

After choosing one of the six locally designed avatars, visitors can travel through the metaverse in the virtual company of Emirati actor, producer, TV personality and social media influencer, Saoud Al-Kaabi, as he shares his poetry and the experience of its first ever presence in the metaverse.

Etisalat by e&, developed in collaboration with Huawei, is a virtual store area where visitors can explore the service’s business center. The virtual shopping experience is set in a 3D universe, enabled by an enhanced 5G live network that allows visitors to collaborate, navigate and communicate using Etisalat by e&’s products and services in real time using hand gestures, headsets, feedback controllers or voice commands.

The company said it is still exploring the possibilities offered by the metaverse and is “working closely with its partners to develop it as the platform where audiences can interact in unique ways.”

In line with its “enabling” mission, e& said it will also continue to expand and innovate the digital services it offers for governments, businesses and individuals.